Real Estate Information Archive

Blog

Sophia Giuffria, Age 9 and Ivan Lendl, Former Tennis World Champion, Farmington, CT. September 2011

Ivan Lendl (born March 7, 1960) is a former World No. 1 professional tennis player. Originally from Czechoslovakia, Lendl became a United States citizen. He was one of the game's most dominant players in the 1980s and remained a top competitor into the early 1990s. He is considered to be one of the greatest tennis players of all time.[2] Lendl captured eight Grand Slam singles titles. He competed in 19 Grand Slam singles finals, at the time a record for a man since surpassed by Roger Federer in 2009. He reached at least one Grand Slam final for 11 consecutive years, a record shared with Pete Sampras. Before the formation of the ATP Lendl reached a record 12 year end championships (equaled by John McEnroe). He won 2 WCT Finals titles and a record 5 Masters Grand Prix titles,tied with Pete Sampras and Roger Federer. He also won a record 22 Championship Series titles (1980–89) the precursors to the current ATP Masters 1000. Lendl first attained the World No. 1 ranking on February 28, 1983 and bolstered his claim to the top spot when he defeated John McEnroe in the 1984 French Open final. For much of the next five years, Lendl was the top ranked player until August 1990 (with a break from September 1988 to January 1989 when Mats Wilander was at the top). He finished four years ranked as the world's top player (1985–1987 and 1989) and was ranked No. 1 for a total of 270 weeks and set a new record previously held by Jimmy Connors since broken by Pete Sampras and Roger Federer.

Andrew and Adrienne Greenwalt knew from the start that they wanted to live in West Hartford.

After taking a job at Pratt & Whitney right out of college, Andrew, 29 an engineer, rented an apartment there and liked the town's many amenities. City living didn't appeal to the couple, nor did they want to live in a rural setting, like West Simsbury, where Adrienne, 26, had grown up.

But even in a tepid economy, they soon learned, the competition for homes in their $400,000 price range can still be stiff in sought-after towns like West Hartford. The owner of the first house they bid on rejected their offer. Then they bid on a second one, only to get beat out by another party offering cash. The couple's attempt to buy a third house also ended in disappointment. Their offer was accepted, but the inspection turned up problems, and they had to back out of the contract.

Finally, on the fourth try, things went the Greenwalts' way. At the end of June, they closed on a three-bedroom, 1.5-bath bath colonial on the northwest side of town. They paid $365,000 for the property, $4,000 less than the asking price.

The couple decided to buy after Adrienne, a nurse, got a job at Hartford Hospital. They met at Tulane University, were married in 2009 and had been renting in New Haven for 11/2 years while Adrienne completed a nurse practitioner program at Yale.

"I was getting tired of commuting to East Hartford," said Andrew, a Louisiana native. "We were ready to have a home."

Must-haves for the first-time home buyers included a minimum of three bedrooms, a modern kitchen and a nicely landscaped yard, Andrew said. "Good bones" were another requirement, in case they wanted to update or add on. They also did not want a fixer-upper, and the house had to have at least a one-car garage, he said.

The 1,744-square-foot house they bought was well kept by the previous owner and move-in ready, Andrew said. It was built in 1951 but looked like new construction, he said. The house has a spacious master bedroom, finished basement and a nice backyard with a big deck. A family room off the kitchen has wrap-around windows and two skylights.

"We love the whole thing," Andrew said.

West Hartford is a place they can raise a family and where the home they bought would likely hold its value, Andrew said. The house was one of about 40 the couple looked at during their roughly three-month search. Nestled in a hilly subdivision near Norfeldt School, it had been on the market only two days when their broker, Rob Giuffria, took them to see it.

"West Hartford is doing extremely well and is more stable than some surrounding towns," said Giuffria, president of Prudential Premier Homes. "There is not much available under $425,000, and when a house comes on the market, it sells quickly."